Jo_Ann

I would start out on paper, setting the perimeter size/style of the plot. Then determine the setback requirements on all sides of the plot, and draw that in. With the footprint established, google 'accessible house plans'. There are tons of plans, and some let you select the square footage desired. Pay attention to the dimensions of the plans (to fit within your footprint). Lots of great ideas for layout design, and exterior/interior style. When you have determined what you like, start designing your OWN plan within the software, keeping in mind that this will be a visual way to communicate what you want (to your builder).

Problem #1: Maybe YOU know what you are trying to describe...but probably no one else knows. Post a jpeg of the problem, and maybe the house plan file. Problem #2: Pay attention to what camera you are using.

????? LawB10's house plan is not at all what you described that you wanted.

You have to separate the garage from the house (pic 3). Use a dividing wall (shown as hatched), set as 'gable', overhang set to 1". Open the opposing house wall and set the overhang to 1". The green dashed lines are the roof planes, and they can not intersect each other. Zoom in close and begin moving the entire garage wall as close as you can get, without intersecting those roof planes (pic 4). Any missing attic walls will need to be patched with wedges or soffits. If you want an overhang, you will have to fudge it with various sloped soffits. Your east attic wall on the family room needs to be aligned with the wall below.

Use a wedge shape (library) on top of the soffit.

Like this?

Is this still the same garage you were working on over a year ago?

I clicked the link and the plan downloaded, but it wouldn't open...says it is corrupt. Also: https://www.homedesignersoftware.com/support/article/KB-00099/accessing-your-archive-files.html

I suspect that you are still not looking in the right place for the archive file. But...you did upload the plan in post#1, so just download that plan back onto your computer.

Uploading a new jpeg doesn't take 25mb. Do a 'save as' for your file. You now have a copy of the file (original file is safe), and should delete ALL the decorations and extras (furniture). Save the file and upload this new plan (under 25mb?). Alternative is to send the file to a zipped folder (which may reduce the file size to below 25mb). By the way, you CAN auto-build the entire roof. Sometimes this is preferable, because the roof planes will all be correctly joined.

If this is what you are trying to do, then you need to look in your reference manual in the chapter about building stairs. Look for 'partial stair wall'.

??? The pic you posted looks just like the same pic in post #1 and post #6 ??? For the ARCH, I found the best setting to be: height 0". Floor to bottom 128". Middle room finished ceiling set to 120".

You need to delete the soffits, and then use the room divider wall to divide the room into 3 separate rooms. Set the left & right rooms to the default ceiling height (95 5/8). Set the middle room to 120". Keep the bump-out separate, and set to the default (95 5/8). You will find the arch in the library: Exteriors / Landscaping / Arbors and Arches / ARCH. Set it's height to 0", and move it into the middle ceiling area. It will take some finagling to size it and position it just right.

You mentioned that you wanted to do an arched ceiling in the area between the soffits that you added (the soffits are not necessary). Is this what you want to do?

If this is what you want, then... First: Open the toolbar roof icon and reset pitch to 6" (leave 'auto build roof' checked). 2nd: Open the porch room and uncheck 'roof over this room'. Next: Break the wall as shown (move the bath window out of the way 1st). Designate yellow walls as 'gable', and also the 2 side railings of the porch. Set the 12" pitch on the 2 exterior walls (as shown). Open the front railing of the porch: Set the pitch to 1". Put a check in the 'upper pitch' box, set 'in from baseline' to 88". Open the porch room again, and lower the 'finished ceiling' to 97". Put the check mark back in the boxes 'roof over this room', 'ceiling over this room', and 'use soffit surface for ceiling'.

Turn auto build roof back on. On floor 2, you have the gable walls set as 'high shed gable'. They should be set as 'gable'. You didn't say what the 2nd roof pitch needed to be, but on floor 1... all 4 outer porch walls need to have the pitch changed to 4", and then the roof should build.

Use a box shape.

I was able to get this to work (with auto build roof) by adding a 3rd floor. 1st add the second floor over the entry, but make it shallower, and extend it into the room to the west. Then build the 3rd floor (blank plan) over the 2nd floor entry room, and align the walls. Set the gable wall roof. Next, lower the ceiling heights of each ENTRY room, beginning with floor 1. Ceiling heights are represented by the colors shown: floor1-green. floor2-orange. floor3-blue. attic-gold. You just need to play with your settings until ALL the roof is correct. ONLY THEN should you turn off auto build roof, and delete a lot of the unwanted extras, and raise the intended ceiling height. Don't be tempted to start adding interior walls and other stuff until the entire roof is correct!

As you can see, it was done in the Pro trial version, which can not be saved. You will have to play with it from scratch.

This is somewhat crude, but I did it using the custom backsplash.

Your current plan has NO dead valleys. BUT...what you need to do is...find out from your architect EXACTLY how the remaining original house roof is to be built/rejoined to intersect the new raised roof of the addition. The most recent elevations you posted show next to nothing to explain that. ONLY then will you have a chance at accurately recreating it in your plan.

Skylights: You are your own nemesis. The skylights you are attempting to place (in the kitchen cabinet area) will never work, not in the software and not in the real world. You have an intersecting roof ( part of the original roof) on both sides of the new vaulted addition (in that area). Skylights will not build over roof intersections. Skylights will not show through soffits, either. Wall material problem: 'Open Below' has nothing at all to do will your wall color problem. You are your own nemesis. Open the living room dbx. You have specified white textured plaster on the wall covering tab. DELETE. Now open the wall you wanted to add the lap siding to. On the wall covering tab, you have specified the color 'bone' for the wall. DELETE. Add the lap material on the 'materials' tab for the wall. You can now join your fireplace wall to the front wall, and it will not turn white.

It doesn't appear that you changed any of your settings in the current file, so I am just guessing.